X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse

For decades, Marvel Comics has thrilled us with a dazzling array of astonishing characters known as Mutants. If you bundle up a group of them and introduce a wheelchair-bound Master of the Mind named Professor X, you get the Uncanny X-Men. While saving the Earth on a daily basis, they must battle some baddies (the Brotherhood) that are equally as mutated, but steered in the opposite moral direction - under the watchful eye of Magneto. However, if something were to happen and they had to join forces for the better good and a common enemy, you'd get X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse.

Making video games from superheroes most often ends in disaster. More so with DC Comics characters, but Marvel has had its share of duds. This game, however, is as far from a mistake as it could be. In fact, it deserves to have the word "Legends" in it - and then some. By stepping aside from the typical bad versus good scenario, they mix bitter foes against the army of Apocalypse. Fueled by the disappearance of Professor Xavier, the teams unite to get to the bottom of the strange happenings. This dilemma is your gain, as you get to create your own custom team of heroes. You can make them all bad, or all good, but you'll most likely find that a mix is the best recipe for success. Magneto's metal-moving magic teamed up with the destructive power of Storm and Cyclops can wreak a lot of havoc - in a good way.

The locations are exotic and remote. Instead of staying in a typical American city, this game propels you into lavishly detailed scenes such as the wastelands of the desert and Egypt. This is a welcome change of the usual pace. As much as I love the character, I am weary of always seeing Spider-Man's home in New York City. Likewise, Batman is always in Gotham. The X-Men get to roam the planet, which leads to some fun and refreshing landscapes.

Along your way, you have your Dream Team to solve puzzles and generally blow up everything in sight. If you don't know a character very well, or just want to test your limits, you can pop into the Danger Room for some unique training. I learned to like some characters I otherwise would have guessed to be unworthy. One such surprise was the (previously known as) boring "Toad." He was actually nice to experiment with, though I did not use him as much as others that I knew better. In select spots, you can exchange and tweak your players for maximum effectiveness. You can also purchase upgrades to your armor and other battle equipment when the need arises. As if the characters were not strong enough as-is, it's possible to beef them up further. That's just icing on an already grand cake.

To tweak and tease the super comic-geeks among us, you can earn your way into swapping costumes with various choices from their first early appearances to more modern "Ultimate" designs. It's funny now to see the characters in their once modern, but now silly, uniforms from yesteryear. There is so much depth to this game, it will engage you for days. Then, start over and play it a totally different way with a different crew. With 16 characters to tinker with up-front, the combinations are enormous. I may even let Toad in on one of my adventures. Maybe.

The sound is excellent. The explosions, crashes and other event sounds are brilliant in their crispness. They do not sound like generic add-ins from a cache of audio leftovers. The characters have good voices, though some seem to try less than others.

The graphics define what can, and should, be done to create a awesome visual experience. It's a "how-to" for designers. Brilliant cel-shading and realistic environments make the action stand out and ... "pop." You'll find yourself just standing there exchanging players to see how they perform in a particular scene. "I wonder what Cyclops' eye beam would look like in THIS room?" You may forget why you're playing the game-- as you're pleasantly distracted by the sharpness of the scenery.

This game is so many games, it can't be fairly described - as there is so much you'd miss. Aside from detours into the Danger Room, there are missions to try, competitions to engage in, and some good old fashioned one on one bashing - should you choose to goof off. Then, go online and test your skills against ... the World. There's a reason this game takes up three CDs. It's massive, and a handful of fun. The replay value is off the charts. Instead of wondering how many times can you play it before it becomes old, you might find yourself asking how many ways you can play it before it feels the same. With the variations and extras on the side, this game has depth within depth. There's no urgency to rush through it, as you want to make it last and savor every minute of fun.  

Gameplay: 9.0
The game is very complex to learn on the PC. There are a lot of moves and keys to remember. Once you get comfortable with it, however, you will be immersed in a fun and challenging adventure. The moves are precise and I can't recall any snags in jumping or striking as needed. There is a good pace and chances to gather your wits - without it getting boring. I found myself constantly going for a "few more minutes," which often meant an hour. It's really hard to stop playing once you begin.  

Graphics: 9.5 
This is the benchmark for what a game should look like. It's cel-shaded, which gives it a true comic look, and enables the power to be utilized elsewhere. That's not to mean every game from now on has to be designed this way, but when used appropriately, it makes things sleek and more fun to stare at for hours. Comic games are a natural fit for this type of graphic. It makes the adventure more like an interactive comic. I think some games misuse this technology, but I love to see it on comic book heroes. The camera angles and adjustments are excellent, which is a factor that many games botch-up more and more these days. This game's got it - perfect.     

Sound: 8.5
The only weakness in the game is the sound - and it's still quite good. Some of the voices, though not a factor in playing the game, are mumbled and out of place. There's a lack of engaging music or ambiance. Something, audio-wise, is just ... missing. There's still plenty of subwoofer rattling fun, which makes me glad I have a nice sound card and decent speakers. The explosions and "battle-thunder" is enough to make the house pets scramble for cover. Anything that gets the cat out of my room is a winner in my book.  

Difficulty: Hard
If not for the complexity of the keyboard controls, I'd think this was a bit less hard. However, learning the moves well enough to save your Mutant backside takes a lot of work. Then, some of the travels and action require switching to other characters for their strengths. That adds to the importance of learning the controls -- darn well. It's hard to wing-it when all heck is breaking loose in a pyramid!

Concept: 8.5 
This has a lot of freshness to it. From the exotic locations to the mixing of good and evil characters, this game feels new all over. It's not that these concepts have never been tried, but they did it with so much accuracy that it didn't feel like a retread. The creators approached this game from the perspective of a true fan, and it shows. I was not much of a X-Men collector (though I do have quite a stash of New Mutants titles), but this game made me enjoy heroes that I have otherwise ignored. Did I mention Toad was almost fun to play? 

Overall: 9.0
This is one of the best games I have ever played on a computer. I find myself "missing it" when I am not able to play it. I think about strategies, match-ups and what I could do different "next time." It's very demanding on a machine. I can't imagine it running at the minimum requirements. Mine exceeds it by far, but there were still a few moments of pauses and even a crash or two. But if your system is up to the challenge, you had better be ready to lose yourself for hours in an immense world of mutant action. Playing "King of the Hill" is enough to call your friends over to witness. When your player amasses enough points for upgrades and increased power, the game just cranks up a notch. Keeping in mind that you're playing multiple characters throughout the whole experience, that's a lot of cranking. Activision has delivered on matching the fun of a comic book within the expanse of the video-game world. Excelsior!